The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened a walk-in disaster recovery center at the Orr’s Island Schoolhouse to serve residents and businesses affected by January’s twin storms.
The temporary center, at 1594 Harpswell Islands Road, has been established to assist those seeking grants or loans to help them recover from the severe storms and flooding on Jan. 10 and 13. It is being staffed by representatives of both FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“Anyone who has had damage, come on in,” said the center’s manager, Yasmine Greene, in an interview. She said no documentation is required to file for assistance.
The Harpswell center will operate seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a period that has yet to be determined. Two other Maine centers have opened, in York County and Hancock County.
Staff members said the Harpswell center had a soft opening on Tuesday, April 9, and several people came in. The center can assist anyone in Maine’s eight coastal counties included in a federal disaster declaration issued in March: Washington, Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Cumberland and York.
Officials have said the deadline to apply for FEMA aid and most disaster-related loans from the Small Business Administration is May 20. The exception is economic injury loans, for which the deadline is Dec. 23.
Michael Drake, Harpswell’s fire administrator and emergency management agent, said a preliminary damage assessment found that 195 residents and 92 small businesses in Harpswell reported suffering damage from the back-to-back storms. Drake said it isn’t necessary to have reported damage in the earlier assessment to apply for federal relief.
He credited the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department and its board president, Ted Merriman, for making the department-owned former schoolhouse available to FEMA.
“(Merriman) was instrumental in the process with FEMA,” Drake said. “The board members went to great lengths to make this happen.”
All disaster recovery centers are accessible to people with disabilities, FEMA said in a news release. They have assistive technology equipment that allows disaster survivors to interact with staff. Remote interpreting is also available. The centers all have accessible parking, ramps and restrooms.
The agency noted that it’s not necessary to visit a center to apply for relief. Applicants can visit disasterassistance.gov, use the FEMA mobile app or call 800-621-3362. The line is open every day from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Help is available in most languages, FEMA said.
Have a comment or news tip? Email J. Craig Anderson at craig@harpswellanchor.org.
